Barigator
The Barigator is a Crocodile-type of Zoid, and is one of over 200 species of bio-mechanical lifeforms that form the Zoid race depicted in TOMY's Zoids Franchise. Overview The Barigator is a Crocodile-type Zoid used by the Helic Republic. The Zoid is amphibious, and performs well in swamps, marshes, and shallow aquatic environments. It can be used elsewhere, but a lack of flat ground will restrict the low-slung Zoid. Relatively slow on land, the Barigator is rather well armored for its size. Its powerful fangs are capable of crushing similarly sized Zoids in a single blow; a favored tactic is for the Zoid to remain hidden, then strike at an unsuspecting opponent. The Zoid does have one glaring weakness, however: when its jaws are open, the cockpit is completely open and exposed to the outside. The pilot sits in the rear portion of the bottom jaw, and the cockpit cover is attached to the top jaw; when the Bite Fangs are used, the entire canopy is basically lifted off of the pilot with the rest of the jaw. When a Barigator attempts to attack an enemy with its Bite Fangs, there is a chance the pilot can be hit by fragments flung from the bite wound, well-aimed shots, or even crushed if the Barigator makes too deep of a bite. Battle Story Appearances The Barigator design first appeared in the late 2030s ZAC, as a replacement for the Aquadon and Furolesios. The Zoid proved to be effective in supporting the Helic Republic forces as they advanced on the Zenebas capital, allowing the Republic army to launch amphibious assaults. The Zoid was later used to escort the Republic forces in their landings on the Dark Continent of Nyx. This time, they were less successful, falling victim to the far more capable Guylos Heldigunners. The Barigator remained a part of the Republic army following the meteor disaster of ZAC 2056. Initially the Republic's only aquatic Zoid, the Barigator was outmatched by the combination of the Guylos Sinker, Brachios, Warshark, and Heldigunner. Only with the development of the Hammerhead was the Republic able to achieve naval superiority. Towards the end of its service life, plans were considered to field unmanned Barigators to negate the risk of harming pilots due to the Bite Fang design flaw. However, the Hammerhead was soon sent into combat to replace the Barigator, and the issue was rendered irrelevant. Media Appearances The Zoid does not appear in any anime series. UK Zoids Comic The Kroc Zoids were used by the Blue Zoid army to fight against the Red Mutants' naval forces, specifically the Z-Ray. The Krocs exhibited animal-like traits, often remaining by rivers or other bodies of water. Video Games The Barigator made a minor appearance in the Zoids Saga series, where it appeared as a wandering monster. It could commonly be found in shallow water regions and in some caves, but it almost never appeared in deep sea or land terrain. Trading Cards The Barigator was featured in the first two Zoids Trading Cards releases; the Original Battle Game and Trading Collection Cards. Models Ba Barigator.jpg|Barigator box art. RMZ-20 The first Barigator came on four frames, along with 8 small rubber caps, a chrome gold pilot figure, a wind-up motor, a translucent cockpit hatch, and a label sheet. The model is white and dark blue/green, with the cockpit hatch being translucent orange. When wound up, the Zoid walks while swinging its head and tail from side to side. The weapons can be manually positioned, along with the Zoid's jaw. The Zoid's body is rather fragile, and the model has a tendency to fall apart easily after assembly. The Zoid was released in August 1985. The Barigator was the first small Helic Zoid to not possess the standardized "whitehead" cockpit. Instead, a head was specially designed for the Zoid. Spider-Man and Zoids In 1986 the Barigator was released in Europe as part of the Spider-Man and Zoids line. It bore the name Kroc. The model was coloured in flat black and light grey, with black caps. Robo Strux The Zoid was released in the United States as Chompz as a part of the Robo Strux line. The Zoid was colored with dark green and tan components, red caps, and a translucent green cockpit. Technozoids The Zoid was released in the US, as part of the Technozoids line in the mid 90s. The model's name was changed to Armored Gator, and the Zoid was recolored in bright orange and tan. RZ-003 Released as part of the Zoic Android line, the Barigator was colored in dark green and light grey. It had black caps and an orange translucent cockpit. The Zoid's mould was also altered to a degree, being far more stable and less prone to falling apart. Several additional weapons kits were produced for the Barigator. Some of these were also designed for use with other Zoids. *The CP-04 "Attack Unit" *The CP-05 "Cannon Unit" The Zoid's type was changed from Alligator to Crocodile, which would be carried through to later releases. Zoids: Build Customize Mobilize The Barigator was released as part of the Build, Customize, Mobilize line. The Barigator was released by Hasbro in the US, and TOMY in other regions. Rebirth Century An upgraded version of the Barigator, called the Barigator TS, was released as the eighth Zoid in the Zoids: Rebirth Century line, with the designation number of HRZ-008. It features a weapon pack on its back, holding two sets of two missiles, and comes with a golden pilot. Category:Crocodile-Type Zoids Category:Helic Republic Zoids Category:Zoids Category:OJR Category:OER Category:NJR Category:Robo Strux Category:Technozoids Category:Zoids: The One Blox Category:Zoids: Rebirth Century Category:NPR Category:Aquatic Zoids Category:Lightweight Zoids Category:Amphibious Zoids